Volume One, Chapter 16: The Solution

At two o’clock in the morning, the laboratory was brightly lit. Under the watchful eyes of Chu Xuan, Li Jianjun, and the others, Old Sun shook his head helplessly.

In truth, even without being told, everyone had already guessed the outcome: the place where the ghost mirror had been displayed was now empty.

Clearly, even the enigmatic Old Sun could not keep hold of that ghost mirror—its third characteristic: the ghost mirror changes its location randomly every other day.

“I’m getting old; I’m no longer useful,” Old Sun sighed. He had prepared extensively in advance this time. Even though he was confident in intercepting S-level anomalies, the ghost mirror still vanished into thin air.

“No need to blame yourself, Old Sun. If you had managed to stop it, I’d be more inclined to doubt the ghost mirror’s power,” Chu Xuan said, his eyes shining brighter rather than dimming.

He was not afraid of how tricky the ghost mirror might be; he only feared that the mirror would fail to meet his expectations.

“Then... can I leave now?” Leng Huaping asked abruptly, her question ill-timed. She didn’t care where the ghost mirror went; all she wanted was to see Chu Xinghe.

“Feel free,” Chu Xuan replied calmly. The urgent priority was retrieving the ghost mirror; whether Leng Huaping stayed or left no longer mattered. Li Jianjun alone was more than enough to protect her.

Leng Huaping had been waiting for this permission. Impatiently, she grabbed Wei Hongying’s hand, ready to go find Chu Xinghe, but Chu Xuan stretched out his hand and blocked their path.

“You can leave, but Wei Hongying cannot,” Chu Xuan said with a glance at Wei Hongying. If he was correct, Wei Hongying’s assistance would be needed later on.

“What are you doing, keeping her here in the middle of the night? You’re not abusing your authority to harass a female subordinate, are you?” Leng Huaping hid Wei Hongying behind her. To her, anyone related to Chu Xinghe was her ally.

Chu Xuan didn’t bother arguing with Leng Huaping. Instead, he bypassed her and spoke directly to Wei Hongying: “Call Chu Xinghe right now and warn him to be careful. The ghost mirror is very likely to come after him again.”

He had already listened to Wei Hongying recount every detail of her encounter with the ghost mirror and noticed a suspicious detail—Chu Xinghe had once covered the mirror’s surface with cloth.

According to the ghost mirror’s first characteristic, when its function is restricted, it resets its current state and moves to a new location.

Oddly, though, the ghost mirror hadn’t left; it merely shifted its orientation and tried to imprint Chu Xinghe onto its surface. As for Wei Hongying, she was simply collateral damage.

This made him suspect that the ghost mirror might indeed seek Chu Xinghe again.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Leng Huaping grumbled. Had she known Chu Xinghe was in danger, she wouldn’t have wasted time here.

Chu Xuan said nothing. He wanted to observe what kind of interaction would occur between Chu Xinghe and the ghost mirror. Having a powerful entity like Leng Huaping present would only complicate matters.

***

Meanwhile, Wei Hongying anxiously dialed the phone, her heart pounding as the call’s ringing tone echoed in her ear.

“Xinghe, please answer!”

Beep—

After a long wait, just as Wei Hongying began to despair, the call was finally answered.

“Xinghe, the ghost mirror is gone. It might be coming after you. You have to be careful!” Without confirming who had picked up, Wei Hongying warned urgently, fearing that any delay might lead to disaster for Chu Xinghe.

“Yes, I know. Don’t worry,” Chu Xinghe’s voice was calmer than expected, tinged with a faint sadness.

“Xinghe, is something wrong?” Wei Hongying relaxed upon hearing his voice but quickly sensed an unusual emotion beneath it.

“Hongying, she... is gone,” Chu Xinghe said, his voice choking with emotion.

“Xinghe...” Wei Hongying knew he was referring to her clone, but she didn’t know how to comfort him.

“Give me the phone. I’ll speak to him,” Chu Xuan said, reaching for the handset. Wei Hongying had kept the call on speakerphone the entire time, so he heard everything clearly.

After a moment’s hesitation, Wei Hongying handed the phone over to Chu Xuan. At times like this, only Chu Xuan could truly help Chu Xinghe.

“Chu Xinghe, the ghost mirror is with you, right?” Chu Xuan got straight to the point, showing no concern for Chu Xinghe’s feelings.

“Yes.” Chu Xinghe glanced toward the ghost mirror on the balcony and guessed that it had indeed latched onto him. “Who are you?”

“Who I am doesn’t matter. I ask you this: do you want to save Wei Hongying’s clone?” Chu Xuan spoke plainly. Since the ghost mirror was with Chu Xinghe, his theory was confirmed.

“You have a way?!” Chu Xinghe’s head shot up, urgency evident in his voice.

“Wei Hongying has not yet retrieved the reflection trapped inside the mirror. In other words, her clone hasn’t disappeared but is merely imprisoned,” Chu Xuan said, glancing at the ordinary mirror behind Wei Hongying, which remained empty. “As for where it’s being held, I imagine you know better than I do.”

Hearing this, Chu Xinghe stared at the ghost mirror in stunned silence. The mirror appeared just as Wei Hongying vanished; the timing was too coincidental.

“[Hongying], are you there?” Chu Xinghe called out tentatively but received no response.

***

Chu Xinghe sighed and lowered his head, then lifted it again with renewed determination. His eyes were resolute. “Tell me what I have to do.”

He had promised [Wei Hongying] that, at the very least, he would say farewell properly.

“You don’t need to do anything. Stay where you are. In five minutes, Old Sun will come to get you,” Chu Xuan said, glancing at Old Sun.

Old Sun nodded slightly and vanished from sight in the next moment.

Once Old Sun left, no one could hold back Leng Huaping any longer. She snatched the phone from Chu Xuan’s hand and shouted at Chu Xinghe, “Don’t listen to this guy! He can’t do anything; he just wants to use you as a test subject!”

“I won’t deny that’s part of the plan, but cooperating with my experiment is currently the safest and most effective known method,” Chu Xuan admitted openly.

“Hongying, is what he says true?” Chu Xinghe, unfamiliar with this sudden girl who seemed to care about him, could only ask Wei Hongying.

“Yes. Professor Chu’s research on anomalies is among the best in the world,” Wei Hongying answered truthfully, ignoring Leng Huaping’s meaningful glance.

She knew Chu Xinghe too well; if there was even a sliver of hope, he wouldn’t give up.

“I understand. Professor Chu, I will cooperate,” Chu Xinghe said without hesitation. He trusted that if roles were reversed, [Wei Hongying] would choose to save him without question. What reason did he have to hesitate?

“Ah, Wei Hongying, you foolish woman! Why are you defending Chu Xuan?” Leng Huaping was so angry she wanted to stomp her feet.

“It’s not on Hongying; it’s my own choice,” Chu Xinghe’s voice sounded again, this time directed at Leng Huaping. “Though I don’t know who you are, thank you.”

After hearing this, Leng Huaping, who had been so fierce moments before, suddenly quieted. She responded shyly, “N-no need to thank me. It’s... it’s what I should do.”

Only now did she realize that Chu Xinghe didn’t recognize her. That meant she could start anew with him, presenting herself in a completely different light.

[These days, pride leads nowhere.]

For some reason, Wei Hongying’s words echoed in her mind once more, and she wondered if she really should change herself.